U.S. Justice Department

News about U.S. Justice Department, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 31, 2015

Justice Dept prosecutors and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officials are trying to root out auto industry practice of reverse-redlining, which singles out minority borrowers and extends them costliest car loans; development could worsen economic decay in some black and Hispanic neighborhoods. MORE

Mar. 30, 2015

Delayed vote on nomination of Loretta E Lynch to succeed Atty Gen Eric H Holder Jr as head of Justice Dept is putting Senate Republicans in bind, showing how difficult navigating politics will be for new Republican majority; Lynch is qualified and palatable to many Republicans, save for her support of Pres Obama's policies, yet holding up her confirmation leaves Republicans stuck with Holder, whom they despise. MORE

Mar. 27, 2015

Alan Eickhoff, new acting police chief in Ferguson, Mo, announces plan to better integrate police officers with community by assigning them to bike patrols and encouraging them to walk beat and talk to residents; change represents adoption of a primary recommendation in scathing Justice Dept report. MORE

Mar. 27, 2015

Justice Dept investigators have met with lawyers of Dr Salomon Melgen, close friend of New Jersey Sen Robert Menendez, in attempt to persuade him to cooperate in corruption case they are pursuing against Menendez; deal would make Melgen star witness in case over whether Menendez traded political favors for gifts and lavish vacations. MORE

Mar. 26, 2015

Editorial examines Justice Dept report on Philadelphia's troubled police department, noting particularly worrisome conclusions about its lethal force policies; says report points up virtues of Justice Dept's police reform program, but also indicates stiff challenges ahead in Philadelphia, where police will have to rebuild policies from the ground up. MORE

Mar. 24, 2015

Justice Dept releases report on Philadelphia Police Dept that offers unusually in-depth look at use of lethal force by officers in a major city's police department, including information about race of officers and suspects; inquiry was requested by Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H Ramsey in 2013 after Philadelphia Inquirer article about rise in police shootings; report comes as tensions in city linger over fatal police shooting of Brandon Tate-Brown. MORE

Mar. 24, 2015

Justice Dept wins dismissal of defamation lawsuit by shipping magnate Victor Restis against anti-Iran advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran after claiming case could imperil national security by revealing state secrets. MORE

Mar. 24, 2015

Federal prosecutors are planning to bring corruption charges against New Jersey Sen Robert Menendez, as part of Justice Dept investigation against him; comparisons are being made to 2008 case against late Sen Ted Stevens, which was dismissed after prosecutors were found to have withheld evidence. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

Justice Department says it will not criminally charge federal employee Shawn Usman, who was flying a private drone that crashed on White House grounds in January; Federal Aviation Administration starts investigation to decide whether Usman should be fined. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

Justice Dept review of San Diego Police Dept recommends overhauling its supervision practices following period between 2009 and 2014 in which officers took advantage of women sexually. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

Biomet discloses Justice Department will extend its probation for another year as it investigates whether company bribed government officials in Mexico and Brazil; inquiry is painful reminder of bribery case that Biomet settled in 2012, leading to initial three-year probation; new charges could endanger company's proposed $13.5 billion merger with rival Zimmer Holdings. MORE

Mar. 17, 2015

Editorial criticizes Senate Republicans and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for delaying vote to confirm Loretta Lynch as attorney general due to dispute over abortion language contained within human trafficking bill; notes that delay is bid on part of McConnell to redirect Republican anger over some of Pres Obama's recent action, and does little to reassure country that Republicans can govern. MORE

Mar. 16, 2015

Lawyer for arms expert and former State Dept contractor Stephen J Kim writes letter to Justice Dept criticizing plea deal given to retired Gen David H Petraeus, who will not serve prison time even though he gave military secrets to mistress; says deal shows double standard on prosecution of leaked classified information, as Kim is serving 13-month sentence for disclosing such information to Fox News. MORE

Mar. 12, 2015

Thomas Jackson, embattled police chief of Ferguson, Mo, is latest official to resign after Justice Dept report condemns city's culture of discriminatory policing; joins city manager John Shaw and municipal court Judge Ronald J Brockmeyer, all three of whom had been cited as key figures in abuses, in stepping down. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

Ferguson, Mo, city manager John Shaw agrees to resign after being faulted in Justice Dept report for heading financially driven policies that resulted in much discrimination and questionable conduct by police and courts in city; had held post since 2007. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he expects to bring nomination of Loretta E Lynch for attorney general to Senate floor for vote imminently. MORE

Mar. 8, 2015

Justice Dept officials and some advocates say report that found government of Ferguson, Mo, to be unfair in its treatment of blacks and the poor should be read by police and city officials across the country; while Ferguson was singled out, many cities in Missouri display similar troubling patterns in way police and court systems are run, and lawsuits and investigations across country have focused on how justice system places inordinate burden on poor. MORE

Mar. 7, 2015

Justice Dept official says agency will file corruption charges against Sen Robert Menendez, culmination of two-year investigation into bribery allegations; case revolves around friendship between Menendez and wealthy surgeon Salomon Melgen, and will likely involve consideration of whether senator's activities are protected by Constitution from prosecution. MORE

Mar. 6, 2015

Final Justice Dept report on police shooting of black teenager Michael Brown, clearing Police Officer Darren Wilson of civil rights violations in Brown's death, also casts doubt on narrative in which Brown was said to have surrendered to police with hands up: finds claims that Brown said 'hands up, don't shoot,' phrase that became rallying cry of protest movement, is most likely a lie that got retold; at same time, report severely criticizes Ferguson, MO, police department for its rampant abuse of African-Americans. MORE

Mar. 6, 2015

Mary Ann Twitty, top court clerk in Ferguson, Mo, is fired for her part in racist emails uncovered by Justice Dept report that found extensive constitutional violations in city's justice system; firing illustrates how difficult it will be to reform city's police department and municipal court when many of its highest officials participated in and tolerated suspect practices. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Justice Dept report on fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by Police Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo, concludes that Wilson's version of incident was consistent with evidence, clearing him of any civil rights violations; parents of Michael Brown express sadness that Wilson will not be held accountable for Brown's death. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Searing report by Justice Dept on racially charged shooting in Ferguson, Mo, determines that its police department and courts have engaged in so many deeply discriminatory constitutional violations that city must completely overhaul its criminal justice system or face federal civil rights charges; Mayor James Knowles responds to report by saying city had already begun to make changes. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Justice Dept report contends Ferguson, Mo, behaves less like municipality and more like self-sustaining business operation, getting money by accusing poor blacks of crimes and then using revenue from from fines as revenue to feed city's budget; federal investigators cite many examples of arrests of blacks without apparent justification. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Editorial examines Justice Dept report that found deeply engrained culture of racism and unconstitutional law enforcement techniques in Ferguson, Mo; notes data shows overwhelmingly disproportionate targeting of blacks by police officers, and that similar discrimination is evidenced in the use of force and in the judicial system; calls on city officials to take drastic steps to correct problem or face federal civil rights charges. MORE

Mar. 4, 2015

Retired Gen David H Petraeus reaches plea deal with Justice Dept, pleading guilty to one count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material in connection with having shared materials with onetime mistress Paula Broadwell; misdemeanor charge brings scandalous episode to close and allows Petraeus to return focus to future plans. MORE

Mar. 2, 2015

Justice Department prepares to release highly critical report accusing Ferguson, Mo, police department of discriminatory policing culture that created deep racial animosity in years leading up to shooting death of Michael Brown; report finds that city disproportionately ticketed and arrested African Americans, using fines to balance its budget; findngs will force officials to either negotiate settlement or face civil rights charges. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Morgan Stanley announces it has reached $2.6 billion settlement with Justice Dept over sale of mortgage securities in advance of financial crisis; settlement is blow for bank as it has struggled to improve its profitability and has lagged behind competitors. MORE

Feb. 25, 2015

Justice Dept closes investigation into 2012 killing of black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida without filing hate-crime charges against shooter George Zimmerman; decision to not indict Zimmerman comes as blow to Martin's parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin and to civil rights movement centering around Martin's death and subsequent deaths of other young black men. MORE

Feb. 24, 2015

Justice Dept asks United States District Court Judge Andrew Hanen for an emergency stay that would put on hold his decision that temporarily blocked Pres Obama’s executive actions on immigration; says decision threatens national security. MORE

Feb. 21, 2015

Justice Dept is investigating fatal shooting in September 2014 of Darrien Hunt, who was black, by white police officers in Utah. MORE

Feb. 16, 2015

Lawyers who have helped bring down big Wall Street targets are leaving public service for private law firms, but prosecutors say hungry talent is filling the gap. MORE

Feb. 9, 2015

The Justice Department is demanding that some of Wall Street’s biggest banks plead guilty to criminal charges that they manipulated the prices of foreign currencies. MORE

Feb. 3, 2015

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation and 21st Century Fox say Justice Department will not prosecute them over phone hacking and payments to public officials, actions perpetrated by their reporters in London. MORE

Feb. 1, 2015

As part of a $1.37 billion settlement, S.&P. is expected to say it never found evidence of retaliation for cutting the credit rating of the United States. MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

Loretta E Lynch, top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, appears before Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on her confirmation as United States attorney general; questions on Republican-controlled committee are cordial and show little opposition to her; criticism of Atty Gen Eric H Holder Jr, however, dominates hearing. MORE

Jan. 27, 2015

WikiLeaks lawyers say they are considering legal action against United States government and Google after learning that Justice Department, in March 2012, had seized company's data associated with accounts of three journalists who work for whistle-blowing organization. MORE

Jan. 23, 2015

Investigation into fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice finds series of miscommunications, errors and systemic failures on part of Cleveland police created unstoppable cascade of events ending with tragedy; earlier episodes of abuse by police had led Cleveland and Justice Dept to agree to carve out consent decree tightening use-of-force policies and subject city police to oversight by a monitor but many reforms were never maintained. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Investigation by FBI finds no evidence to support civil rights charges against police officer Darren Wilson, who shot teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo, and Justice Dept recommends against prosecuting Wilson; Atty Gen Eric Holder emphasizes that investigation was independent from that conducted by Missouri authorities, who reached similar conclusion; broader civil rights inquiry into racial profiling is still underway. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Editorial welcomes Justice Department's end to its attempt to force New York Times reporter James Risen to testify in whistle-blower case and its revision of guidelines on leak investigations; holds developments are still late in coming, and not really enough; calls for strong federal shield law helping reporters who protect identity of their sources. MORE

Jan. 17, 2015

Justice Dept reveals prior existence of Drug Enforcement Administration database that had contained American telephone records, adding new details to disclosures about mass government surveillance. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

Atty Gen Eric H Holder Jr fortifies protection of journalists' phone records, notes or emails in revisions to rules concerning how and when prosecutors can subpoena journalists; Holder first began reviewing news media guidelines in 2013, and in 2014 made it significantly more difficult to demand records, notes or emails from news organizations. MORE

Jan. 12, 2015

On television and in the courtroom, the credit rating agency has waged war against a Justice Dept. lawsuit. But behind the scenes, it wants nothing more than to buy peace. MORE

Jan. 10, 2015

Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Dept recommend bringing felony charges against retired Gen David H Petraeus for providing classified information to former mistress Paula Broadwell while he was CIA director; Petraeus denies allegations and shows no interest in plea deal. MORE

Jan. 6, 2015

Justice Dept accuses Dr Asad Qama of Ocala, Fla, one of nation's top-billing doctors, of performing unnecessary procedures on cardiac patients; he collected more than $18 million in payments from Medicare in 2012. MORE

Dec. 30, 2014

Documents turned over to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington relating to FBI inquiry into former Sen John E Ensign show more brazen side to Ensign's actions; also show decision by Justice Dept not to file criminal charges against Ensign were due to fears of losing public corruption case in wake of other high-profile failures; Ensign was investigated for attempting to secure lobbying work for former aide Douglas Hampton, with whose wife he had had an affair. MORE

Dec. 24, 2014

Editorial urges Justice Dept to request that all judges on federal appeals court for Second Circuit review court's decision overturning insider trading convictions of hedge fund managers Todd Newman and Anthony Chiasson; warns that ruling, as it stands now, allows greater leeway for trading on inside information and makes it more difficult to prosecute insider trading. MORE

Dec. 23, 2014

An agreement to sell Biomet, a medical device maker, to Zimmer Holdings for $13.35 billion may be complicated by reports that Biomet helped bribe officials in Mexico and Brazil. MORE

Drug Enforcement Administration agents attended sex parties with prostitutes, funded by local drug cartels on government-leased property overseas, according to accounts by local police officers in a Justice Department report.